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Care, play and lifelong learning

  • David Mathew
Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Abstract

In this paper, links between the concepts of long-term care and lifelong learning are suggested, and notions of care and the author’s construction of the Pedagogic Third will be proposed. The psychoanalysis of children stresses the importance of symbolic play, during which the child uses games to master internal conflicts. Analogous results might emerge from play that engages adult learners. However, where play helps children define roles and accept rule-regulated behaviour, we consider to what extent an adult learner is addressing desires which cannot be satisfied because they are too threatening, or desires which cannot be satisfied in reality and which are represented symbolically in play as an alternative. In order to work through these ideas, we consider a comedic representation of a hospital ward and an extract from the diary of a midwife who was also a long-term patient. The author’s contribution to the conference was a workshop and not the presentation of a paper. As such, this paper has been written in retrospect and is consequently reflective in stance. Much of the work described in this paper is connected to a larger piece of work, a monograph in progress, due to be published in 2019.

Publication Information

Output type

Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Original language

English

Pages from-to (Number of pages)

Pages 37-51

Journal (Volume, Issue Number)

European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling (Volume 21, Issue 1)

Publication milestones

  • Accepted/In press - 09/11/2018
  • Published - 04/02/2019

Publication status

Published - 04/02/2019

ISSN

1364-2537

External Publication IDs

  • handle.net: 10547/624176
  • Scopus: 85061059044

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